Gameology

Mathew and Attila discuss games that are distributed as digital Collectible Card Games and physical Trading Card Games.

Why does a board game rule book take 10 pages to explain what a friend can summarize in less than 5 minutes?

Luck can feel great when it works in your favor and aggravating when it works against you, winning a game of skill can be rewarding, but loosing one leaves you no one to blame but yourself.

Do we let Hearthstone get away with being pay to win because we find it fun to play? Are digital card packs a worthwhile purchase if set rotation is going to make them obsolete?

How can developers use micro-transactions in ways that don't harm consumers? Mathew and Attila discuss micro-transactions in games.

Mathew and Attila discuss what truly makes a choice Meaningful in a game.

Mathew and Attila discuss narrative in games, and the dichotomy between games which put story first with lacking gameplay and action games which don't bother to tell a good story.

Mathew and Attila discuss Shovel Knight, it's penalty for death, and whether instant-deaths make sense in a game where you have a health-bar.

Mathew and Attila jump on the Pokemon GO bandwagon and discuss the potential future of Nintendo games on smartphones.

Mathew and Attila discuss Death and Energy Systems in games.

Mathew and Attila discuss the ideal length of a gaming session.

Mathew and Attila discuss the length of games, both AAA and Indie

Attila tears into Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Mathew talks all about the Shadowrun series and specifically his favorite entry in the series; Shadowrun for the Sega Genesis.

Attila heaps praise on one of his favorite games; The World Ends With You while Mathew listens patiently. A discussion on how the game handles Difficulty and an example of Mechanics as Metaphor.

Mathew and Attila discuss difficulty, fairness, and consistency and how this can be done well or done poorly in games.

Mathew interviews Attila about his recent participation in a Game Jam and Attila shares his thoughts and experiences with Jams past.

Mathew and Attila discuss how games can get off on the right foot; what makes a good tutorial?

Mathew and Attila discuss what makes a boss encounter memorable, looking at Mini-Bosses, Temple Bosses, and End Bosses.

Mathew and Attila discuss Remakes and Remasters, making games as good as your memory of them.